180 - Henry Stacy Marks, RA RWS,

Henry Stacy Marks, RA RWS, British 1829-1898- Pelicans; and Flamingoes; each pencil and watercolour on paper, each with arched upper edge, each signed with initials 'H.S.M.' (lower right), each 5.1 x 18 cm., a pair in shared mount (2). Provenance: with Chris Beetles Ltd., London. Private Collection, UK. Note: Henry Stacy Marks's artistic inclination started to manifest when, still at school, he would learn to paint coats of arms and other heraldic elements to help his father, a carriage maker. He then studied at the Royal Academy in London, at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and trained with several artists in their studios. Early in his career he focused on painting Shakespearean and medieval subjects, and later mainly in scenes of birds and ornithologists. However, his decorative painting training, acquired while decorating carriages, would never abandon him. He would create designs for Minton pottery, for stained-glass producers Clayton and Bell, and most notably, for friezes at the Royal Albert Hall and at the house of major Dutch painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912). Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, was his most prominent patron. Marks's most important collectable work, in which he focused during his professional maturity, are somewhat fanciful depictions of birds. Often tinted with a touch of humour, these works are accurate yet amusing: the present lot is a perfect example of this. The format of these pelicans and flamingoes, painted within two semi-circles, could indicate a design for a frieze or a pair of tiles, or maybe it is just a remainder of Marks's notable experience in decorative design. These bird depictions have a strong market record, as demonstrated by his depiction of a Maribou stork which recently sold at Mallams, on 9 July 2025, lot 381 (£2,200 hammer) and two cockatoos which sold at Gorringes, on 12 March 2024, lot 242 (£1,700 hammer).